SKOPJE, Macedonia — An EU-backed election meant to end a crisis in Macedonia has led to a deeper one, putting a dangerous strain on relations between the country’s two biggest ethnic groups.

The Balkan state’s president, Gjorge Ivanov, has defied calls from the EU, the United States and NATO to let the Social Democrats, mainly composed of ethnic Macedonians, and parties representing the large ethnic Albanian minority form a government.

Ivanov says such a coalition would threaten the unity of the country as the ethnic Albanian parties want greater rights for their community and a broader use of the Albanian language. But supporters of the would-be government say Ivanov is trying to protect the right-wing VMRO-DPMNE party, which ruled for the past decade and whose senior officials are under investigation on suspicion of large-scale illegal wiretapping and widespread corruption.

“He’s doing it because VMRO controls him and this is their order,” Radmila Šekerinska, the deputy leader of the Social Democrats (SDSM), said in her office at party headquarters.

Party leader Zoran Zaev has accused Ivanov of having “staged a coup” by refusing to nominate him as prime minister last week even though he has the support of 67 members in the 120-seat parliament, following the election back in December.

Macedonia, a country of some 2.1 million people, seceded peacefully from collapsing Yugoslavia in the 1990s but was shaken by an ethnic Albanian guerrilla insurgency in 2001. After mediation by the EU and NATO, the conflict was stopped before the country descended into all-out civil war.

Critics of VMRO-DPMNE blame the current crisis on party leader and longtime Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski. He was seen as a pro-EU technocrat when he took office in 2006 and EU leaders were grateful for his government’s help in closing down the western Balkan route for refugees and migrants last year. Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz even spoke at a VMRO-DPMNE election rally last November.

But Gruevski has also come under fire from human rights activists and Western diplomats for an increasingly authoritarian rule, filling state jobs with party members and cracking down on critical media outlets and nongovernmental organizations.

“Ethnic Albanians feel like second-class citizens in their own country” — Qashif Bakiu, University of Tetovo

“Gruevski and his close circle are ready to do anything, including encouraging an ethnic conflict, to escape jail,” said Jove Kekenovski, a political science lecturer and co-founder of the party who was expelled after criticizing the leadership.

But thousands of demonstrators, including many VMRO-DPMNE supporters, have marched through the center of Skopje in recent days in support of the president’s stance. Wearing scarves and ribbons of bright red and yellow, the colors of Macedonian flag, the protesters held anti-EU signs and sang patriotic songs.

Sonja Spasenovska, a 50-year-old economist, and her husband were among the demonstrators last Thursday night, having traveled 40 kilometers from the western city of Tetovo, where the majority of residents are ethnic Albanian.

“We’d like to show the European Union that we’re a tough nation and we’ve always fought for our homeland,” Spasenovska said. “If we accept the Albanian platform, this would mean the end of the Macedonian nation.”

“I rejoiced when I heard the president’s announcement,” she added. “He’s the hero of the day.”

The protests have been mainly peaceful but two journalists were beaten and their camera destroyed as they tried to cover the demonstration last Tuesday.

Ethnic Albanians, who make up around a quarter of Macedonia’s population, say it is Ivanov who is threatening the unity of the country by blocking a government that would help their community feel more connected to the state.

“Ethnic Albanians feel like second-class citizens in their own country,” said Qashif Bakiu, an assistant professor of public law at the University of Tetovo.

Analysts see no sign of an end to political volatility. “Even if a new government is formed, it would face enduring challenges, including instability in the country and continuous pressure from Gruevski,” said Dimitar Bechev, a non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank. “At the moment the country is highly divided and VMRO hasn’t lost its core support.”

Macedonia’s Watergate

The current crisis goes back to 2015, when Social Democrat leader Zaev accused Gruevski of orchestrating illegal surveillance of thousands of people, including judges, foreign diplomats, journalists and even members of his own cabinet. Zaev released recordings of the wiretaps that appeared to reveal widespread abuse of power and electoral fraud among senior officials.

Gruevski described the scandal as an attempt by an unnamed foreign intelligence service to destroy his party, claiming the recordings had been doctored.

After an initially hesitant reaction, the EU brokered a plan intended to get politics back on track. This included the establishment of a special prosecution unit to investigate the evidence provided by the wiretaps — and early elections, which finally took place at the end of last year, having twice been postponed.

Gruevski’s party won 51 seats in the election, two more than the Social Democrats. But he was unable to form a viable coalition. The Social Democrats and the ethnic Albanian parties then agreed on a governing alliance but Ivanov refused to give Zaev a mandate to form a new administration.

A polling station in Strumica during the general elections in December last year | Tomislav Georgiev/AFP via Getty Images

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini urged him to do a U-turn on a visit to Macedonia last Thursday. “I asked the president to reflect on the way forward to reverse his decision in the interest of all citizens in the country,” she told reporters in Skopje.

Russia, which has become increasingly vocal in Balkan affairs in recent years, has weighed in on the side of Ivanov, accusing the West of backing the creation of a “Greater Albania”.

VMRO-DPMNE suggests the best way out of the crisis would be fresh elections, held alongside local polls already scheduled for May.

“Regardless of whether we or SDSM form a government, it would have a very tiny majority and won’t be stable in the long term,” said Aleksandar Nikoloski, VMRO-DPMNE’s secretary for international cooperation, at the party’s new headquarters in Skopje.

Gruevski has suggested another way out of the impasse — that his party would support a Social Democrat-led government if it dropped the Albanian parties’ platform.

A long row of paintings in ornate golden frames depicting the history of Macedonia and the party adorn the long corridors of the building, which, like many others in the capital, has been given a neoclassical makeover.

The centerpiece in the party’s cafeteria depicts two men spraying a wall with graffiti that says “Long Live United Macedonia. Long Live VMRO” in bright red letters.

Gruevski has suggested another way out of the impasse — that his party would support a Social Democrat-led government if it dropped the Albanian parties’ platform. But the Social Democrats have so far shown no interest in that proposal.

Cvete Koneska, senior Europe analyst at London-based Control Risks Group, says Macedonia’s political crisis runs much deeper than a power struggle between the two main parties.

“People don’t have trust anymore — whether it’s the police, the courts, the government, the political parties. This is a long-term problem that would affect much more society than whether Gruevski would be in government or not,” she said.

“You don’t know who is going to do what next, because it seems like no one is really following the constitution and the law.”

Back at the Social Democrats’ headquarters, a thick yellow binder lies on the desk of deputy leader Šekerinska. It contains dozens of draft laws the party plans to present to parliament once it takes power. Unless Ivanov has a change of heart, it could be a long time before those bills make it out of the binder.

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michael danias

The fragmented mess of Yugoslavia and communism in the Balkans will not ethnically, geographically or socially mend itself in our generation.
Albanians are indigenous to the Balkans which means they predate Slavic settlement there. As such they will always be looked at by the Slavic communities in a vulgar and derogatory way. Their Islamification which occurred under the Ottomans has now in a Christian landscape worked against them. Slavic Macedonians, Serbs and Greeks look down upon them. Greece has a method of controlling self determination and nationalist aspirations within our borders with a zero tolerance approach. Others like Macedonia have to play it diplomatically for they cannot afford to ruffle feathers. The Serbs have their problems compounded in Bosnia (Republika Srpska) and Kosovo (Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija). They are trying to conduct administration in fragmented territories that house their populations.
On the surface its looks ridiculous that the breakup of Yugoslavia could cause such a devastating phenomena. It has.

If anyone had said 20 years ago that there would be such a creature as a Montenegrin you would have laughed. They are Serbs and were always the proudest of Serbs. They have now become Montenegrins that don’t think they speak Yugoslav (Serbo-Croatian) but instead speak a new tongue called Montenegrin. I actually met a fool that claimed that Montenegrin was different. Are these Slavs on crack?
Croats, Serbs, Montenegrins and Bosnians all speak the same language. They have the same DNA. The same culture. The same traditions. If someone had said to me 20 years ago that there would be a creature called a Bosnian I would have laughed at them. They now exist. Moslems on their Yugoslav passports and now they have an exclusive title as Bosnians. I wonder what the Moslems of Macedonia, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro call themselves now? Not Bosnians that’s for sure.

The not so new creature the Macedonian has existed since 1991. What was a regional consciousness in 1946 under Tito has developed into an ethnicity via Gligarov. Prior to 1946 Macedonian Slavs had always identified as ethnic Bulgarians but were spiritually from Macedonia. The same can be said for the Albanians and Greeks of Macedonia. They identified ethnically with their race but spiritually with their territory.

The Albanians have always been there. While they were within a Yugoslav Federation it wasn’t problematic. As soon as the place disintegrated the Albanian issue intensified. Milosevic and Karadzic didn’t help matters. Had the transition period to independence been handled slightly more sensitively by thinking people this mess that now exists in all the territories could have been avoided. Albanians in Kosovo did not want independence. They wanted the status quo. It was Serbia’s provocative ethnic cleansing that caused the break. Instead of embracing a multicultural framework and governing the place peacefully they went psycho. Apart from the Croats who were too right extreme from day one (ustashi rhetoric) and the Slovenes (what on earth were they doing there in the first place if one of Tito’s parents weren’t one) the country had no reason for war. Ethnically and linguistically homogenous with the exception of the Albanians.

The Albanians have a high birth rate, much higher than their Slavic neighbors. In Greece we don’t care how many children they have because they are schooled in Greek schools and are usually baptized. Their Albanian heritage is fairly watered down after a generation or two. In western Macedonia and Kosovo they have Albanian language lessons, Albanian consciousness and mosques. Athens does not have one active mosque yet. Additionally my observation of Albanians that have emigrated to Greece since 1989 is that they are people without religion. Islam isn’t practiced amongst the Albanians of Greece. Many have embraced Orthodoxy in order to fit in, whereas my travels through Kosovo and Macedonia I saw very religious Islam practicing Albanians. The Fez is quite prominent especially with the older men.

The border shifts in the last two centuries have been happening around the Albanians and they have had to adapt. Their ethnicity has never been in question. Their consciousness has never been in question. The problem has always been living amongst the Slavs. Slavs have attempted to dominate where they are a majority. No one asked the Albanians if they wanted a star or vergina on their flag in Macedonia. No one asked the Albanians if they wanted a statue of Alexander the Great in Skopje. They might have opted for a two headed eagle or a Statue of Skanderbeg. They were never asked. The goal posts have moved considerably for the Albanians of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia both culturally and economically. The antiqization that has enveloped their country via Gruevski’s 2014 masterpiece has alienated them. Their quarter of the city remains run down and in decay. Instead of restoring their historical buildings and celebrating a unique multi ethnic history the ruling party has built grotesque structures around them that has polarized the community. Slav identity and non Slav identity. The rhetoric that is coming out of Ivanov’s office is Slavic culture or no culture. They will be far more united and militant in the face of rejection. The Albanian political parties never got on. They do now because of one reason.

It’s sad that the Balkans have become messy. I still have fond memories of 1985 as a 19 year old travelling through Yugoslavia when everyone got on and everyone used to tearfully sings folkloric songs and drink copious amounts of raki. Those days are gone but the Albanians are still there. They should be respected and any ethnic negotiations should be handled with care for their consciousness and ethnicity is unique.

Posted on 3/7/17 | 6:06 AM CET

vwp

nice story, but little one-sided.there are no clean hands in the balkans.Trust all over the world is in short supply.

Posted on 3/7/17 | 6:06 AM CET

Beres

Bye bye fyrom

Posted on 3/7/17 | 8:27 AM CET

Dr Grey

What about giving some glue to why the Macedonians are rightly frustrated rather than demonizing them

A document drafted and signed by the three ethnic Albanian parties after consultations with Albania’s prime minister Edi Rama and foreign minister Ditmir Bushati
is that not Foreign Interface in Macedonian internal affairs shouldn’t that be condemned by the International Community?

It amazing that Macedonians are still fighting to preserve their statehood even today
Macedonians are feed up with the interference, false promises and double standards and sick of constantly giving in to the unreasonable demands of the Albanian minority who have never shown any common ground to build a unified State even when they have freedoms and individual rights not seen in any Country in the World

Imagine if this had happened anywhere in the World what the reaction would be
Macedonia first and foremost should end Diplomatic relations with Albania and the EU support Macedonia not stroke destabilisation for greater geo-political goals of the “Greater Albania”Project
Macedonia is defending its sovereignty from those who have Territorial aspirations towards their country

Posted on 3/7/17 | 9:00 AM CET

mess

This is a rude awakening for the Slav nationalists who thought they would rule over the Albanians, Turks, and Roma in perpetuity. The VMRO regime was destructive and nothing good can come out of it staying in power. If they cannot live in peace and cannot democratize they should call it splits with the Albanian regions and consider joining Serbia or Bulgaria. Nationalists protesting for ‘unity’ is a joke, the only they want to keep living in this leftover country is their client jobs and nationalist delusions. This is not sustainable. The 25-year old name dispute is a good indication of this self-destructiveness.

Posted on 3/7/17 | 10:10 AM CET

Michael danias

The root of Fyrom’s problems is identity. The country has been built on bad foundations so its now faltering. had it had a sound foundation of multiculturalism it would not be in the mess. The Albanians are indigenous and as such
deserve equal rights. Just the name Macedonia is offensive to the Albanians. Its offensive the the Greeks. its offensive to the Bulgarians. When a new nation offends its neighbors from the gecko it is doomed. add to this the cultural fabrications of antiquity.Slavic denials. stolen national heroes. theme parks that are the product of a mad man. languishing economy. ect ect. all these social and economic issues are brought upon from one thing ­ the identity. Its false. The minute they redefine who they are in a correct historical and scientific manner the country will thrive. they don’t take criticism. its impossible to criticize them. they don’t get it. Macedonia is a name that is not exclusive to FYROM. They cannot use it. They have had ample time to fix the name issue.
Instead they forged along with a false antiqization policy. Inflammatory airport names. Cheap Italian statues of historical figures that are not ethnically connected to them. ect ect. The media has been shut down. Take Mina as an example of Gruevski propaganda. The place stinks. The best option they have is to take Rohrabacher’s advice. They will save themselves a civil war. Partition for peace. Let the Albanians split. They will never be accepted by their Slav co-occupants. The fragmented mess can then decide to either forge along in their historical fantasy land or join their ancestral home Bulgaria.

Posted on 3/7/17 | 12:34 PM CET

*****

Today is March the Seventh and again in Macedonia at the House of Manastir was recorded vandalism expressed through broken glass windows and doors, derogatory anti-Albanian graffiti, and molotov cocktails left at the scene.
This is not the first incident it happens at the House of Manastir. This place is symbolic because it was here in 1908 where the Albanian scholars decided to choose the Latin as base alphabet to be used as standard written language (between many others like Greek or Cyrillic).
Today in Albania is the teacher’s day, and the House of Alphabet in Manastir is vandalized this not being the first time.
This ugly behavior goes in hand with the xenophobic paranoia of Macedonians that show in political level as well (Gruvesky and Ivanov) by not recognizing Albanian as an official language and by predicting the doom of Macedonia if they do so.

Belgium a multi ethnic state has three official language.
Belarus has less than 10% of Russians ethnicity and Russian is recognized as an official language.(while V.Putin showing his albanophobia in Macedonia)
Cyprus a multi ethnic state has also two official language.
Faeroe islands are multi ethnic and they also have two official language.
Finland has also two official language.
Kosovo with a less than 10% of Serbian population has Serbian as an official language beside Albanian.
Luxembourg has three official languages.
Malta has two and the Netherlands have four official languages.
Romania has three official languages one of them representing a minority no bigger than 7% from the total population .
Switzerland has four official languages.
(other countries throughout the world exists with more than one official language but i listed only some that are in Europe)

According to Macedonian state census Albanians represent 25% of population in Macedonia(whether this census is right or does it include Orthodox Albanians in Macedonia that is another issue).
Based on the reality we live nowadays, and looking whats is happening around the neighboring countries what would be the problem making Albanian an official language in Macedonia?

Posted on 3/7/17 | 2:43 PM CET

Disgruntled

This article is extremely one sided.
Did the journalist forget to mention the proposed Tirana Platform? Where it was created, who were in the negotiations?

This platform was created when three of the four parliamentary parties of the ethnic Albanians in Macedonia conducted by the Prime Minister of Albania and his Foreign Minister, in Tirana.

This platform was created in a foreign country, whilst under the guise of a leader of a nation and in his office and he even mediated it. This directly threatens Macedonian independence and sovereignty.

A disgusting piece of journalism. Hang your head in shame.

Posted on 3/7/17 | 3:27 PM CET

*****

@Disgruntled

That is a document signed by electives of Macedonian officials that Macedonian citizens have chosen to be represented by.
That is not a Tirana Platform, because Tirana does not know what are the best interests of Macedonian citizens.
Tirana has a moral and constitutional duty to be at the service of its ethnic citizens whether they live within the state boundary or abroad.
Are you suggesting that Macedonians citizens of Albanian descent should restrict themselves from doing meetings at other countries beside Macedonia? Have you asked yourself why they would not feel comfortable doing these meetings inside Macedonia?

The problem of yours is not the place, the time, the table, the pen, the paper, the color of pen, where the treaty was signed. Your struggle is in the fact that in the first time after a long time, Albanians have come together and have allied with other Slav majority in order to form a new democratic government.
This treaty embraces inclusiveness
Whoever opposes it, does not do it for the good of Macedonia, but because it is implicated and supports dirty politics of Gruveski and his puppet Ivanov.

The place where the leaders met, is just an alibi, in order to protect the actual political class that has been draining the whole Macedonia for two decades..

What if the representatives of Macedonian citizens from Albanian descent would have met in Berovo, Beograd, or even Moscow. You think that their demands would have been different?

Posted on 3/7/17 | 4:13 PM CET

a jovanov

SDSM and Albanians want a EU, NATO backed Greater Albania. Leaders of SDSM (stupid Zaev and dumbass Šekerinska) will sell out Macedonia to cover their asses and make a buck. They are not going to succeed. Zaev is a maniac psycho who must be scitzophrenic if he thinks Ivanov will give him the mandate. And that Šekerinska is a stupid bitch.

Posted on 3/7/17 | 10:23 PM CET

Dr Grey

The Macedonians are the most tolerant and patient people
Albanians enjoys rights that are not seen in any country of the World in fact they already have a position
of a federalized state in Macedonia already

Albanian is already an official Language in Macedonia and protected in Macedonia under law
The State Albanian language University of Tetovo was established in 1994 an is one of four State Institutions
Albanians have complete local self Governance which has lead to abuse of power

the Macedonian Language and National Flag have never been represented by either Albanian Political Party or by local govt in Albanian majority regions of
and Macedonians who are a minority are discriminated

In Parliament the Albania Political Parties have a veto status over the majority of Parliament
Their rights also extend to various other spheres through the Ohrid Accord of 2001

Macedonia is squarely in the grip of desires of a Greater Albania Project
This is not about civil rights or Language debate that is just a side show
The US supports this because it fosters its position as the main influence in the Balkans against growing influence of Russia and China
When in fact Macedonia has far closer relations with the US and EU
It’s a relationship Albanians enjoy with the US
Whilst Macedonians has always been the collateral damage
It is always paying
from
Its partitation and division by the Western Powers in 1913
The 2001 Insurgency and attack from Kosovo
The 2016 Illegal Immigrant crisis
Macedonians are always stuck in the middle of the great geo-political struggles of others

Posted on 3/7/17 | 11:49 PM CET

Dr Grey

Let back track for a second
Zaev had ZERO!! Nutter no chance of winning the elections and had no Support at all by either the Macedonian or Political parities
and both ethnic Macedonians or Albanians
It was only! after weeks of meddling and interference by the US Ambassador Bailey who went above and beyond is position as US Ambassador
(and is being ask to please explain on why millions of US tax payers money have spent on destabilising Macedonia)
Installed an Illegal Govt against the will of the People and overwhelming majority

Posted on 3/8/17 | 1:50 AM CET

vwp

lets not see history from the bottom of a slivo bottle. I was born in a village 2 km from an albanian village. We lived side by side for over 500 years with no problems. And you want to go back 25 years. Macedonia can thrive as a multi-culture society,….but i do not see very many in the government who think.

Posted on 3/9/17 | 2:40 AM CET

Inga

Zaev and Shekerinska are traitors!

Posted on 3/10/17 | 3:27 AM CET

Gr

Lets be done with this fake creation of a country called FYROM – let the Albanian and Bulgarian ethnic consciousness arise!!

Posted on 3/11/17 | 10:33 PM CET

Mdanias

The Macedonian Slavs need to get used to the fact that the Albanian population within FYROM is there to stay and will only grow. They either assume an antagonistic role and end up in a civil war or assume an inclusive role which safeguards Albanian language and identity and safeguards the Slavic Bulgarian heritage. Both groups need to coexist on the land together in a peaceful manner. The nationalistic approach of the Bulgarian Slavic population will only get them into trouble via a civil war. The Albanians have proven resilience over many centuries. They have an ancestral connection in FYROM which is over 7000 years old, a lot longer than there Bulgarian Slavic co-occupiers. It’s not about Greater Albania. The Albanians of FYROM have no intention of separating. What they want is equal recognition and a stop to a false culture which has been engineered by The Bulgarian Slavic population. They cannot identify with an imposed Hellenic culture. They want a neutral landscape. It’s a composite country made up of Bulgarian Slavs, Albanians, Vlachs, Turks, Romani, Serbs and Pomaks. The last census was in 2002. That’s 15 years ago. Back then these groups were at 35%. Right now if FYROM were to conduct a census it would cause a cultural earthquake. They need to be all inclusive. The Gruevski master plan of Skopje 2014 is a polarizer. No group other that the brainwashed Bulgarian Slavs can identify with it. Gruevski exacerbated a volatile phenomena that has been fed for decades by the Diaspora community since the umbilical cord to Bulgaria was cut by Tito. The educated Bulgaria Slavs know their roots. The not so educated Bulgarian Slavs are vulnerable to propaganda. The Nazification of Fyrom has been fueled by the VMRO-DPMNE. They and they alone have embarked on the insanity that is Antiquization. Their school curriculums have been contaminated. Imagine teaching an Albanian child that his ancestor is a Greek by the name of Alexander the Great. It bad enough trying to get the Bulgarian Slavic community to believe it but they do. Both groups cannot even pronounce the historical Greek names. They are foreign words that have been imposed by one man and one party – Gruevski and the VMRO-DPMNE. Politicians like Zaev and Georgievski offer hope. Unfortunately when they speak out they are accused of being traitors and undermining the cultural fabric. What cultural fabric? It’s a fabrication. The VMRO-DPMNE was founded as a mirror modern day version of the Bulgarian Patriot liberation organization the IMRO. Staunchly Slavic Bulgarian in ethnicity. Staunchly unionist with Bulgaria. Gruev & Dalchev who are now national heroes of Bulgaria and FYROM used to pass death sentences on any Slavs claiming that the blood of Alexander The Great ran through them. If they were still around half of the population of FYROM would be dead. They (FYROM) are culturally gluttonous. Not only do they want to embrace the Bulgarian culture that is within them but they also want to steal an older culture which they not connected to. They cannot have both. Its either one or the other. If it’s Hellenic culture then apologize to Bulgaria and give them back their history. If its Bulgarian culture then keep Gruev & Dalchev ,drop Alexander and apologize to Greece. This is not like sexuality. You cannot be Bi-Historical. You are either one or the other. It is understandable why the Albanians are so pissed off. I fear the worst. 2001 was merely a warning. If Ivanov and Gruevski continue trying to protect their Hellenistic stolen culture they will end up in a civil war. The reason the country is failing is because it is based on artificial foundations. Rotten to the core. Deluded in all aspects. They need to demolish those grotesque reproduction Italian made statues, rename their airport, change their flag, rename their highways, burn their heretic encyclopedias, change the school curriculum, drop the irredentist platform and the country will thrive. Nations can only be established on correct cultural foundations. FYROM is sitting on stilts and is about to collapse.

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